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1987
Philippine Constitution:

THE
1987 CONSTITUTION
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

PREAMBLE

We,
the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God,
in order to build a just and humane society and establish a Government
that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common
good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves
and our posterity the blessings of independence and democracy
under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom,
love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.

ARTICLE 1

National
Territory

The
national territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, with
all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all other territories
over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting
of its terrestrial, fluvial, and aerial domains, including its
territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves,
and other submarine areas. The waters around, between, and connecting
the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and
dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines.

ARTICLE 2
Declaration of Principles and State Policies

Principles

SECTION
1. The Philippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty
resides in the people and all government authority emanates from
them.

SECTION
2. The Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national
policy, adopts the generally accepted principles of international
law as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of
peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with
all nations.

SECTION
3. Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people
and the State. Its goal is to secure the sovereignty of the State
and the integrity of the national territory.

SECTION
4. The prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the
people. The Government may call upon the people to defend the
State and, in the fulfillment thereof, all citizens may be required,
under conditions provided by law, to render personal military
or civil service.

SECTION
5. The maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life,
liberty, and property, and the promotion of the general welfare
are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings
of democracy.

SECTION
6. The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.
State Policies

SECTION
7. The State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its
relations with other states the paramount consideration shall
be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest,
and the right to self-determination.

SECTION
8. The Philippines, consistent with the national interest, adopts
and pursues a policy of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory.

SECTION
9. The State shall promote a just and dynamic social order that
will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and
free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate
social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of
living, and an improved quality of life for all.

SECTION
10. The State shall promote social justice in all phases of national
development.

SECTION
11. The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees
full respect for human rights.

SECTION
12. The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall
protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social
institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and
the life of the unborn from conception. The natural and primary
right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic
efficiency and the development of moral character shall receive
the support of the Government.

SECTION
13. The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in national
building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral,
spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It shall inculcate
in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement
in public and civic affairs.

SECTION
14. The State recognizes the role of women in nation-building,
and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women
and men.

SECTION
15. The State shall protect and promote the right to health of
the people and instill health consciousness among them.

SECTION
16. The State shall protect and advance the right of the people
to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm
and harmony of nature.

SECTION
17. The State shall give priority to education, science and technology,
arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism,
accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation
and development.

SECTION
18. The State affirms labor as a primary social economic force.
It shall protect the rights of workers and promote their welfare.

SECTION
19. The State shall develop a self-reliant and independent national
economy effectively controlled by Filipinos.

SECTION
20. The State recognizes the indispensable role of the private
sector, encourages private enterprise, and provides incentives
to needed investments.

SECTION
21. The State shall promote comprehensive rural development and
agrarian reform.

SECTION
22. The State recognizes and promotes the rights of indigenous
cultural communities within the framework of national unity and
development.

SECTION
23. The State shall encourage non-governmental, community-based,
or sectoral organizations that promote the welfare of the nation.

SECTION
24. The State recognizes the vital role of communication and information
in nation-building.

SECTION
25. The State shall ensure the autonomy of local governments.

SECTION
26. The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for
public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined
by law.

SECTION
27. The State shall maintain honesty and integrity in the public
service and take positive and effective measures against graft
and corruption.

SECTION
28. Subject to reasonable conditions prescribed by law, the State
adopts and implements a policy of full public disclosure of all
its transactions involving public interest.

ARTICLE 3

Bill
of Rights

SECTION
1. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without
due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection
of the laws.

SECTION
2. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,
papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures
of whatever nature and for any purpose shall be inviolable, and
no search warrant or warrant of arrest shall issue except upon
probable cause to be determined personally by the judge after
examination under oath or affirmation of the complainant and the
witnesses he may produce, and particularly describing the place
to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

SECTION
3. (1) The privacy of communication and correspondence shall be
inviolable except upon lawful order of the court, or when public
safety or order requires otherwise as prescribed by law.

(2)
Any evidence obtained in violation of this or the preceding section
shall be inadmissible for any purpose in any proceeding.

SECTION
4. No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of
expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble and petition the Government for redress of grievances.

SECTION
5. No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and
enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination
or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall
be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.

SECTION
6. The liberty of abode and of changing the same within the limits
prescribed by law shall not be impaired except upon lawful order
of the court. Neither shall the right to travel be impaired except
in the interest of national security, public safety, or public
health, as may be provided by law.

SECTION
7. The right of the people to information on matters of public
concern shall be recognized. Access to official records, and to
documents, and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions,
or decisions, as well as to government research data used as basis
for policy development, shall be afforded the citizen, subject
to such limitations as may be provided by law.

SECTION
8. The right of the people, including those employed in the public
and private sectors, to form unions, associations, or societies
for purposes not contrary to law shall not be abridged.

SECTION
9. Private property shall not be taken for public use without
just compensation.

SECTION
10. No law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be passed.

SECTION
11. Free access to the courts and quasi-judicial bodies and adequate
legal assistance shall not be denied to any person by reason of
poverty.

SECTION
12. (1) Any person under investigation for the commission of an
offense shall have the right to be informed of his right to remain
silent and to have competent and independent counsel preferably
of his own choice. If the person cannot afford the services of
counsel, he must be provided with one. These rights cannot be
waived except in writing and in the presence of counsel.

(2)
No torture, force, violence, threat, intimidation, or any other
means which vitiate the free will shall be used against him. Secret
detention places, solitary, incommunicado, or other similar forms
of detention are prohibited.

(3)
Any confession or admission obtained in violation of this or Section
17 hereof shall be inadmissible in evidence against him.

(4)
The law shall provide for penal and civil sanctions for violations
of this section as well as compensation to and rehabilitation
of victims of torture or similar practices, and their families.

SECTION
13. All persons, except those charged with offenses punishable
by reclusion perpetua when evidence of guilt is strong, shall,
before conviction, be bailable by sufficient sureties, or be released
on recognizance as may be provided by law. The right to bail shall
not be impaired even when the privilege of the writ of habeas
corpus is suspended. Excessive bail shall not be required.

SECTION
14. (1) No person shall be held to answer for a criminal offense
without due process of law.

(2)
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall be presumed innocent
until the contrary is proved, and shall enjoy the right to be
heard by himself and counsel, to be informed of the nature and
cause of the accusation against him, to have a speedy, impartial,
and public trial, to meet the witnesses face to face, and to have
compulsory process to secure the attendance of witnesses and the
production of evidence in his behalf. However, after arraignment,
trial may proceed notwithstanding the absence of the accused provided
that he has been duly notified and his failure to appear is unjustifiable.

SECTION
15. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended
except in cases of invasion or rebellion when the public safety
requires it.

SECTION
16. All persons shall have the right to a speedy disposition of
their cases before all judicial, quasi-judicial, or administrative
bodies.

SECTION
17. No person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.

SECTION
18. (1) No person shall be detained solely by reason of his political
beliefs and aspirations.

(2) No involuntary servitude in any from shall exist except as
punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly
convicted.

(2)
The employment of physical, psychological, or degrading punishment
against any prisoner or detainee or the use of substandard or
inadequate penal facilities under subhuman conditions shall be
dealt with by law.

SECTION
20. No person shall be imprisoned for debt or non-payment of a
poll tax.

SECTION
21. No person shall be twice put in jeopardy of punishment for
the same offense. If an act is punished by a law and an ordinance,
conviction or acquittal under either shall constitute a bar to
another prosecution for the same act.

SECTION
22. No ex post facto law or bill of attainder shall be enacted.

ARTICLE
4

Citizenship

SECTION
1. The following are citizens of the Philippines :

(1)
Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption
of this Constitution;

(2)
Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines;

(3)
Those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect
Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority; and

(4)
Those who are naturalized in accordance with law.

SECTION
2. Natural-born citizens are those who are citizens of the Philippines
from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect
their Philippine citizenship. Those who elect Philippine citizenship
in accordance with paragraph (3), Section 1 hereof shall be deemed
natural-born citizens.

SECTION
3. Philippine citizenship may be lost or reacquired in the manner
provided by law.

SECTION
4. Citizens of the Philippines who marry aliens shall retain their
citizenship, unless by their act or omission they are deemed,
under the law, to have renounced it.
SECTION 5. Dual allegiance of citizens is inimical to the national
interest and shall be dealt with by law.

ARTICLE
5
Suffrage

SECTION
1. Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines
not otherwise disqualified by law, who are at least eighteen years
of age, and who shall have resided in the Philippines for at least
one year and in the place wherein they propose to vote for at
least six months immediately preceding the election. No literacy,
property, or other substantive requirement shall be imposed on
the exercise of suffrage.

SECTION
2. The Congress shall provide a system for securing the secrecy
and sanctity of the ballot as well as a system for absentee voting
by qualified Filipinos abroad.
The Congress shall also design a procedure for the disabled and
the illiterates to vote without the assistance of other persons.
Until then, they shall be allowed to vote under existing laws
and such rules as the Commission on Elections may promulgate to
protect the secrecy of the ballot.

ARTICLE
6
Legislative Department

SECTION
1. The legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the
Philippines which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives,
except to the extent reserved to the people by the provision on
initiative and referendum.

SECTION
2. The Senate shall be composed of twenty-four Senators who shall
be elected at large by the qualified voters of the Philippines,
as may be provided by law.

SECTION
3. No person shall be a Senator unless he is a natural-born citizen
of the Philippines, and, on the day of the election, is at least
thirty-five years of age, able to read and write, a registered
voter, and a resident of the Philippines for not less than two
years immediately preceding the day of the election.

SECTION
4. The term of office of the Senators shall be six years and shall
commence, unless otherwise provided by law, at noon on the thirtieth
day of June next following their election.

No
Senator shall serve for more than two consecutive terms. Voluntary
renunciation of the office for any length of time shall not be
considered as an interruption in the continuity of his service
for the full term for which he was elected.

SECTION
5. (1) The House of Representatives shall be composed of not more
than two hundred and fifty members, unless otherwise fixed by
law, who shall be elected from legislative districts apportioned
among the provinces, cities, and the Metropolitan Manila area
in accordance with the number of their respective inhabitants,
and on the basis of a uniform and progressive ratio, and those
who, as provided by law, shall be elected through a party-list
system of registered national, regional, and sectoral parties
or organizations.

(2)
The party-list representatives shall constitute twenty per centum
of the total number of representatives including those under the
party list. For three consecutive terms after the ratification
of this Constitution, one-half of the seats allocated to party-list
representatives shall be filled, as provided by law, by selection
or election from the labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural
communities, women, youth, and such other sectors as may be provided
by law, except the religious sector.

(3)
Each legislative district shall comprise, as far as practicable,
contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory. Each city with a
population of at least two hundred fifty thousand, or each province,
shall have at least one representative.

(4)
Within three years following the return of every census, the Congress
shall make a reapportionment of legislative districts based on
the standards provided in this section.

SECTION
6. No person shall be a Member of the House of Representatives
unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines and, on
the day of the election, is at least twenty-five years of age,
able to read and write, and, except the party-list representatives,
a registered voter in the district in which he shall be elected,
and a resident thereof for a period of not less than one year
immediately preceding the day of the election.

SECTION
7. The Members of the House of Representatives shall be elected
for a term of three years which shall begin, unless otherwise
provided by law, at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following
their election.

No
member of the House of Representatives shall serve for more than
three consecutive terms. Voluntary renunciation of the office
for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption
in the continuity of his service for the full term for which he
was elected.

SECTION
8. Unless otherwise provided by law, the regular election of the
Senators and the Members of the House of Representatives shall
be held on the second Monday of May.

SECTION
9. In case of vacancy in the Senate or in the House of Representatives,
a special election may be called to fill such vacancy in the manner
prescribed by law, but the Senator or Member of the House of Representatives
thus elected shall serve only for the unexpired term.

SECTION
10. The salaries of Senators and Members of the House of Representatives
shall be determined by law. No increase in said compensation shall
take effect until after the expiration of the full term of all
the Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives approving
such increase.

SECTION
11. A Senator or Member of the House of Representatives shall,
in all offenses punishable by not more than six years imprisonment,
be privileged from arrest while the Congress is in session. No
Member shall be questioned nor be held liable in any other place
for any speech or debate in the Congress or in any committee thereof.

SECTION
12. All Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives
shall, upon assumption of office, make a full disclosure of their
financial and business interests. They shall notify the House
concerned of a potential conflict of interest that may arise from
the filing of a proposed legislation of which they are authors.

SECTION
13. No Senator or Member of the House of Representatives may hold
any other office or employment in the Government, or any subdivision,
agency, or instrumentality thereof, including government-owned
or controlled corporations or their subsidiaries, during his term
without forfeiting his seat. Neither shall he be appointed to
any office which may have been created or the emoluments thereof
increased during the term for which he was elected.

SECTION
14. No Senator or Member of the House of Representatives may personally
appear as counsel before any court of justice or before the Electoral
Tribunals, or quasi-judicial and other administrative bodies.
Neither shall he, directly or indirectly, be interested financially
in any contract with, or in any franchise or special privilege
granted by the Government, or any subdivision, agency, or instrumentality
thereof, including any government-owned or controlled corporation,
or its subsidiary, during his term of office. He shall not intervene
in any matter before any office of the Government for his pecuniary
benefit or where he may be called upon to act on account of his
office.

SECTION
15. The Congress shall convene once every year on the fourth Monday
of July for its regular session, unless a different date is fixed
by law, and shall continue to be in session for such number of
days as it may determine until thirty days before the opening
of its next regular session, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays,
and legal holidays. The President may call a special session at
any time.

SECTION
16. (1) The Senate shall elect its President and the House of
Representatives its Speaker, by a majority vote of all its respective
Members.

Each
House shall choose such other officers as it may deem necessary.

(2)
A majority of each House shall constitute a quorum to do business,
but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day and may compel
the attendance of absent Members in such manner, and under such
penalties, as such House may provide.

(3)
Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish
its Members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence
of two-thirds of all its Members, suspend or expel a Member. A
penalty of suspension, when imposed, shall not exceed sixty days.

(4)
Each House shall keep a Journal of its proceedings, and from time
to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may, in its
judgment, affect national security; and the yeas and nays on any
question shall, at the request of one-fifth of the Members present,
be entered in the Journal.

Each
House shall also keep a Record of its proceedings.

(5)
Neither House during the sessions of the Congress shall, without
the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor
to any other place than that in which the two Houses shall be
sitting.

SECTION
17. The Senate and the House of Representatives shall each have
an Electoral Tribunal which shall be the sole judge of all contests
relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of their
respective Members. Each Electoral Tribunal shall be composed
of nine Members, three of whom shall be Justices of the Supreme
Court to be designated by the Chief Justice, and the remaining
six shall be Members of the Senate or the House of Representatives,
as the case may be, who shall be chosen on the basis of proportional
representation from the political parties and the parties or organizations
registered under the party-list system represented therein. The
senior Justice in the Electoral Tribunal shall be its Chairman.

SECTION
18. There shall be a Commission on Appointments consisting of
the President of the Senate, as ex officio Chairman, twelve Senators,
and twelve Members of the House of Representatives, elected by
each House on the basis of proportional representation from the
political parties or organizations registered under the party-list
system represented therein. The Chairman of the Commission shall
not vote, except in case of a tie. The Commission shall act on
all appointments submitted to it within thirty session days of
the Congress from their submission. The Commission shall rule
by a majority vote of all the Members.

SECTION
19. The Electoral Tribunals and the Commission on Appointments
shall be constituted within thirty days after the Senate and the
House of Representatives shall have been organized with the election
of the President and the Speaker. The Commission on Appointments
shall meet only while the Congress is in session, at the call
of its Chairman or a majority of all its Members, to discharge
such powers and functions as are herein conferred upon it.

SECTION
20. The records and books of accounts of the Congress shall be
preserved and be open to the public in accordance with law, and
such books shall be audited by the Commission on Audit which shall
publish annually an itemized list of amounts paid to and expenses
incurred for each Member.

SECTION
21. The Senate or the House of Representatives or any of its respective
committees may conduct inquiries in aid of legislation in accordance
with its duly published rules of procedure. The rights of persons
appearing in or affected by such inquiries shall be respected.

SECTION
22. The heads of departments may upon their own initiative, with
the consent of the President, or upon the request of either House,
as the rules of each House shall provide, appear before and be
heard by such House on any matter pertaining to their departments.
Written questions shall be submitted to the President of the Senate
or the Speaker of the House of Representatives at least three
days before their scheduled appearance. Interpellations shall
not be limited to written questions, but may cover matters related
thereto. When the security of the State or the public interest
so requires and the President so states in writing, the appearance
shall be conducted in executive session.

SECTION
23. (1) The Congress, by a vote of two-thirds of both Houses in
joint session assembled, voting separately, shall have the sole
power to declare the existence of a state of war.

(2)
In times of war or other national emergency, the Congress may,
by law, authorize the President, for a limited period and subject
to such restrictions as it may prescribe, to exercise powers necessary
and proper to carry out a declared national policy. Unless sooner
withdrawn by resolution of the Congress, such powers shall cease
upon the next adjournment thereof.

SECTION
24. All appropriation, revenue or tariff bills, bills authorizing
increase of public debt, bills of local application, and private
bills shall originate exclusively in the House of Representatives,
but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments.

SECTION
25. (1) The Congress may not increase the appropriations recommended
by the President for the operation of the Government as specified
in the budget. The form, content, and manner of preparation of
the budget shall be prescribed by law.

(2)
No provision or enactment shall be embraced in the general appropriations
bill unless it relates specifically to some particular appropriation
therein. Any such provision or enactment shall be limited in its
operation to the appropriation to which it relates.

(3)
The procedure in approving appropriations for the Congress shall
strictly follow the procedure for approving appropriations for
other departments and agencies.

(4)
A special appropriations bill shall specify the purpose for which
it is intended, and shall be supported by funds actually available
as certified by the National Treasurer, or to be raised by a corresponding
revenue proposed therein.

(5)
No law shall be passed authorizing any transfer of appropriations;
however, the President, the President of the Senate, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court, and the heads of Constitutional Commissions may, by law,
be authorized to augment any item in the general appropriations
law for their respective offices from savings in other items of
their respective appropriations.

(6)
Discretionary funds appropriated for particular officials shall
be disbursed only for public purposes to be supported by appropriate
vouchers and subject to such guidelines as may be prescribed by
law.

(7)
If, by the end of any fiscal year, the Congress shall have failed
to pass the general appropriations bill for the ensuing fiscal
year, the general appropriations law for the preceding fiscal
year shall be deemed reenacted and shall remain in force and effect
until the general appropriations bill is passed by the Congress.

SECTION
26. (1) Every bill passed by the Congress shall embrace only one
subject which shall be expressed in the title thereof.

(2)
No bill passed by either House shall become a law unless it has
passed three readings on separate days, and printed copies thereof
in its final form have been distributed to its Members three days
before its passage, except when the President certifies to the
necessity of its immediate enactment to meet a public calamity
or emergency. Upon the last reading of a bill, no amendment thereto
shall be allowed, and the vote thereon shall be taken immediately
thereafter, and the yeas and nays entered in the Journal.

SECTION
27. (1) Every bill passed by the Congress shall, before it becomes
a law, be presented to the President. If he approves the same,
he shall sign it; otherwise, he shall veto it and return the same
with his objections to the House where it originated, which shall
enter the objections at large in its Journal and proceed to reconsider
it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of all the Members
of such House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent,
together with the objections, to the other House by which it shall
likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of all
the Members of that House, it shall become a law. In all such
cases, the votes of each House shall be determined by yeas or
nays, and the names of the Members voting for or against shall
be entered in its Journal. The President shall communicate his
veto of any bill to the House where it originated within thirty
days after the date of receipt thereof; otherwise, it shall become
a law as if he had signed it.

(2)
The President shall have the power to veto any particular item
or items in an appropriation, revenue, or tariff bill, but the
veto shall not affect the item or items to which he does not object.

SECTION
28. (1) The rule of taxation shall be uniform and equitable. The
Congress shall evolve a progressive system of taxation.

(2)
The Congress may, by law, authorize the President to fix within
specified limits, and subject to such limitations and restrictions
as it may impose, tariff rates, import and export quotas, tonnage
and wharfage dues, and other duties or imposts within the framework
of the national development program of the Government.

(3)
Charitable institutions, churches and parsonages or convents appurtenant
thereto, mosques, non-profit cemeteries, and all lands, buildings,
and improvements, actually, directly, and exclusively used for
religious, charitable, or educational purposes shall be exempt
from taxation.

(4)
No law granting any tax exemption shall be passed without the
concurrence of a majority of all the Members of the Congress.

SECTION
29. (1) No money shall be paid out of the Treasury except in pursuance
of an appropriation made by law.

(2)
No public money or property shall be appropriated, applied, paid,
or employed, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or
support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution,
or system of religion, or of any priest, preacher, minister, or
other religious teacher, or dignitary as such, except when such
priest, preacher, minister, or dignitary is assigned to the armed
forces, or to any penal institution, or government orphanage or
leprosarium.

(3)
All money collected on any tax levied for a special purpose shall
be treated as a special fund and paid out for such purpose only.
If the purpose for which a special fund was created has been fulfilled
or abandoned, the balance, if any, shall be transferred to the
general funds of the Government.

SECTION
30. No law shall be passed increasing the appellate jurisdiction
of the Supreme Court as provided in this Constitution without
its advice and concurrence.

SECTION
31. No law granting a title of royalty or nobility shall be enacted.

SECTION
32. The Congress shall, as early as possible, provide for a system
of initiative and referendum, and the exceptions therefrom, whereby
the people can directly propose and enact laws or approve or reject
any act or law or part thereof passed by the Congress or local
legislative body after the registration of a petition therefor
signed by at least ten per centum of the total number of registered
voters, of which every legislative district must be represented
by at least three per centum of the registered voters thereof.

ARTICLE
7

Executive
Department

SECTION
1. The executive power shall be vested in the President of the
Philippines.

SECTION
2. No person may be elected President unless he is a natural-born
citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and
write, at least forty years of age on the day of the election,
and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately
preceding such election.

SECTION
3. There shall be a Vice-President who shall have the same qualifications
and term of office and be elected with and in the same manner
as the President. He may be removed from office in the same manner
as the President.

The
Vice-President may be appointed as a Member of the Cabinet. Such
appointment requires no confirmation.

SECTION
4. The President and the Vice-President shall be elected by direct
vote of the people for a term of six years which shall begin at
noon on the thirtieth day of June following the day of the election
and shall end at noon of the same date six years thereafter. The
President shall not be eligible for any reelection. No person
who has succeeded as President and has served as such for more
than four years shall be qualified for election to the same office
at any time.

No
Vice-President shall serve for more than two consecutive terms.
Voluntary renunciation of the office for any length of time shall
not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of the
service for the full term for which he was elected.

Unless
otherwise provided by law, the regular election for President
and Vice-President shall be held on the second Monday of May.

The
returns of every election for President and Vice-President, duly
certified by the board of canvassers of each province or city,
shall be transmitted to the Congress, directed to the President
of the Senate. Upon receipt of the certificates of canvass, the
President of the Senate shall, not later than thirty days after
the day of the election, open all certificates in the presence
of the Senate and the House of Representatives in joint public
session, and the Congress, upon determination of the authenticity
and due execution thereof in the manner provided by law, canvass
the votes.

The
person having the highest number of votes shall be proclaimed
elected, but in case two or more shall have an equal and highest
number of votes, one of them shall forthwith be chosen by the
vote of a majority of all the Members of both Houses of the Congress,
voting separately.

The
Congress shall promulgate its rules for the canvassing of the
certificates.

The
Supreme Court, sitting en banc, shall be the sole judge of all
contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications
of the President or Vice- President, and may promulgate its rules
for the purpose.

SECTION
5. Before they enter on the execution of their office, the President,
the Vice-President, or the Acting President shall take the following
oath or affirmation :

"I
do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully and conscientiously
fulfill my duties as President (or Vice-President or Acting President)
of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute
its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the
service of the Nation. So help me God." (In case of affirmation,
last sentence will be omitted.)

SECTION
6. The President shall have an official residence. The salaries
of the President and Vice-President shall be determined by law
and shall not be decreased during their tenure. No increase in
said compensation shall take effect until after the expiration
of the term of the incumbent during which such increase was approved.
They shall not receive during their tenure any other emolument
from the Government or any other source.

SECTION
7. The President-elect and the Vice-President-elect shall assume
office at the beginning of their terms.

If
the President-elect fails to qualify, the Vice-President-elect
shall act as President until the President-elect shall have qualified.

If
a President shall not have been chosen, the Vice-President-elect
shall act as President until a President shall have been chosen
and qualified.

If
at the beginning of the term of the President, the President-elect
shall have died or have become permanently disabled, the Vice-President-elect
shall become President.

Where
no President and Vice-President shall have been chosen or shall
have qualified, or where both shall have died or become permanently
disabled, the President of the Senate or, in case of his inability,
the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall act as President
until a President or a Vice-President shall have been chosen and
qualified.

The
Congress shall, by law, provide for the manner in which one who
is to act as President shall be selected until a President or
a Vice-President shall have qualified, in case of death, permanent
disability, or inability of the officials mentioned in the next
preceding paragraph.

SECTION
8. In case of death, permanent disability, removal from office,
or resignation of the President, the Vice-President shall become
the President to serve the unexpired term. In case of death, permanent
disability, removal from office, or resignation of both the President
and Vice-President, the President of the Senate or, in case of
his inability, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, shall
then act as President until the President or Vice-President shall
have been elected and qualified.

The
Congress shall, by law, provide who shall serve as President in
case of death, permanent disability, or resignation of the Acting
President. He shall serve until the President or the Vice-President
shall have been elected and qualified, and be subject to the same
restrictions of powers and disqualifications as the Acting President.

SECTION
9. Whenever there is a vacancy in the Office of the Vice-President
during the term for which he was elected, the President shall
nominate a Vice-President from among the Members of the Senate
and the House of Representatives who shall assume office upon
confirmation of a majority vote of all the Members of both Houses
of the Congress, voting separately.

SECTION
10. The Congress shall, at ten o'clock in the morning of the third
day after the vacancy in the offices of the President and Vice-President
occurs, convene in accordance with its rules without need of a
call and within seven days enact a law calling for a special election
to elect a President and a Vice-President to be held not earlier
than forty-five days nor later than sixty days from the time of
such call. The bill calling such special election shall be deemed
certified under paragraph 2, Section 26, Article VI of this Constitution
and shall become law upon its approval on third reading by the
Congress. Appropriations for the special elections shall be charged
against any current appropriations and shall be exempt from the
requirements of paragraph 4, Section 25, Article VI of this Constitution.
The convening of the Congress cannot be suspended nor the special
election postponed. No special election shall be called if the
vacancy occurs within eighteen months before the date of the next
presidential election.

SECTION
11. Whenever the President transmits to the President of the Senate
and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration
that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office
and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary,
such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice-President
as Acting President.

Whenever
a majority of all the Members of the Cabinet transmit to the President
of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives
their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge
the powers and duties of his office, the Vice-President shall
immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting
President.

Thereafter,
when the President transmits to the President of the Senate and
to the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration
that no inability exists, he shall reassume the powers and duties
of his office. Meanwhile, should a majority of all the Members
of the Cabinet transmit within five days to the President of the
Senate and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives their
written declaration that the President is unable to discharge
the powers and duties of his office, the Congress shall decide
the issue. For that purpose, the Congress shall convene, if it
is not in session, within forty-eight hours, in accordance with
its rules and without need of call.

If
the Congress, within ten days after receipt of the last written
declaration, or, if not in session, within twelve days after it
is required to assemble, determines by a two-thirds vote of both
Houses, voting separately, that the President is unable to discharge
the powers and duties of his office, the Vice-President shall
act as the President; otherwise, the President shall continue
exercising the powers and duties of his office.

SECTION
12. In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall
be informed of the state of his health. The Members of the Cabinet
in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief
of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shall not be
denied access to the President during such illness.

SECTION
13. The President, Vice-President, the Members of the Cabinet,
and their deputies or assistants shall not, unless otherwise provided
in this Constitution, hold any other office or employment during
their tenure. They shall not, during said tenure, directly or
indirectly, practice any other profession, participate in any
business, or be financially interested in any contract with, or
in any franchise, or special privilege granted by the Government
or any subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including
government-owned or controlled corporations or their subsidiaries.
They shall strictly avoid conflict of interest in the conduct
of their office.

The
spouse and relatives by consanguinity or affinity within the fourth
civil degree of the President shall not during his tenure be appointed
as members of the Constitutional Commissions, or the Office of
the Ombudsman, or as Secretaries, Undersecretaries, chairmen or
heads of bureaus or offices, including government-owned or controlled
corporations and their subsidiaries.

SECTION
14. Appointments extended by an Acting President shall remain
effective, unless revoked by the elected President within ninety
days from his assumption or reassumption of office.

SECTION
15. Two months immediately before the next presidential elections
and up to the end of his term, a President or Acting President
shall not make appointments, except temporary appointments to
executive positions when continued vacancies therein will prejudice
public service or endanger public safety.

SECTION
16. The President shall nominate and, with the consent of the
Commission on Appointments, appoint the heads of the executive
departments, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls,
or officers of the armed forces from the rank of colonel or naval
captain, and other officers whose appointments are vested in him
in this Constitution. He shall also appoint all other officers
of the Government whose appointments are not otherwise provided
for by law, and those whom he may be authorized by law to appoint.
The Congress may, by law, vest the appointment of other officers
lower in rank in the President alone, in the courts, or in the
heads of departments, agencies, commissions, or boards.

The
President shall have the power to make appointments during the
recess of the Congress, whether voluntary or involuntary, but
such appointments shall be effective only until after disapproval
by the Commission on Appointments or until the next adjournment
of the Congress.

SECTION
17. The President shall control of all the executive departments,
bureaus and offices. He shall ensure that the laws be faithfully
executed.

SECTION
18. The President shall be the Commander-in-Chief of all armed
forces of the Philippines and whenever it becomes necessary, he
may call out such armed forces to prevent or suppress lawless
violence, invasion or rebellion. In case of invasion or rebellion,
when the public safety requires it, he may, for a period not exceeding
sixty days, suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus
or place the Philippines or any part thereof under martial law.
Within forty-eight hours from the proclamation of martial law
or the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus,
the President shall submit a report in person or in writing to
the Congress. The Congress, voting jointly, by a vote of at least
a majority of all its Members in regular or special session, may
revoke such proclamation or suspension, which revocation shall
not be set aside by the President. Upon the initiative of the
President, the Congress may, in the same manner, extend such proclamation
or suspension for a period to be determined by the Congress, if
the invasion or rebellion shall persist and public safety requires
it.

The
Congress, if not in session, shall, within twenty-four hours following
such proclamation or suspension, convene in accordance with its
rules without any need of a call.

The
Supreme Court may review, in an appropriate proceeding filed by
any citizen, the sufficiency of the factual basis of the proclamation
of martial law or the suspension of the privilege of the writ
or the extension thereof, and must promulgate its decision thereon
within thirty days from its filing.

A
state of martial law does not suspend the operation of the Constitution,
nor supplant the functioning of the civil courts or the legislative
assemblies, nor authorize the conferment of jurisdiction on military
courts and agencies over civilians where civil courts are able
to function, nor automatically suspend the privilege of the writ.

The
suspension of the privilege of the writ shall apply only to persons
judicially charged for rebellion or offenses inherent in or directly
connected with the invasion.

During
the suspension of the privilege of the writ, any person thus arrested
or detained shall be judicially charged within three days, otherwise
he shall be released.

SECTION
19. Except in cases of impeachment, or as otherwise provided in
this Constitution, the President may grant reprieves, commutations
and pardons, and remit fines and forfeitures, after conviction
by final judgment.

He
shall also have the power to grant amnesty with the concurrence
of a majority of all the Members of the Congress.

SECTION
20. The President may contract or guarantee foreign loans on behalf
of the Republic of the Philippines with the prior concurrence
of the Monetary Board, and subject to such limitations as may
be provided by law. The Monetary Board shall, within thirty days
from the end of every quarter of the calendar year, submit to
the Congress a complete report of its decisions on applications
for loans to be contracted or guaranteed by the Government or
government-owned and controlled corporations which would have
the effect of increasing the foreign debt, and containing other
matters as may be provided by law.

SECTION
21. No treaty or international agreement shall be valid and effective
unless concurred in by at least two-thirds of all the Members
of the Senate.

SECTION
22. The President shall submit to the Congress within thirty days
from the opening of every regular session, as the basis of the
general appropriations bill, a budget of expenditures and sources
of financing, including receipts from existing and proposed revenue
measures.

SECTION
23. The President shall address the Congress at the opening of
its regular session. He may also appear before it at any other
time.

ARTICLE
8

Judicial
Department

SECTION
1. The judicial power shall be vested in one Supreme Court and
in such lower courts as may be established by law.

Judicial
power includes the duty of the courts of justice to settle actual
controversies involving rights which are legally demandable and
enforceable, and to determine whether or not there has been a
grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction
on the part of any branch or instrumentality of the Government.

SECTION
2. The Congress shall have the power to define, prescribe, and
apportion the jurisdiction of various courts but may not deprive
the Supreme Court of its jurisdiction over cases enumerated in
Section 5 hereof.

No
law shall be passed reorganizing the Judiciary when it undermines
the security of tenure of its Members.

SECTION
3. The Judiciary shall enjoy fiscal autonomy. Appropriations for
the Judiciary may not be reduced by the legislature below the
amount appropriated for the previous year and, after approval,
shall be automatically and regularly released.

SECTION
4. (1) The Supreme Court shall be composed of a Chief Justice
and fourteen Associate Justices. It may sit en banc or, in its
discretion, in divisions of three, five, or seven Members. Any
vacancy shall be filled within ninety days from the occurrence
thereof.

(2)
All cases involving the constitutionality of a treaty, international
or executive agreement, which shall be heard by the Supreme Court
en banc, and all other cases which under the Rules of Court are
required to be heard en banc, including those involving the constitutionality,
application, or operation of presidential decrees, proclamations,
orders, instructions, ordinances, and other regulations, shall
be decided with the concurrence of a majority of the Members who
actually took part in the deliberations on the issues in the case
and voted thereon.

(3)
Cases or matters heard by a division shall be decided or resolved
with the concurrence of a majority of the Members who actually
took part in the deliberations on the issues in the case and voted
thereon, and in no case, without the concurrence of at least three
of such Members. When the required number is not obtained, the
case shall be decided en banc; Provided, that no doctrine or principle
of law laid down by the court in a decision rendered en banc or
in division may be modified or reversed except by the court sitting
en banc.

SECTION
5. The Supreme Court shall have the following powers:

(1)
Exercise original jurisdiction over cases affecting ambassadors,
other public ministers and consuls, and over petitions for certiorari,
prohibition, mandamus, quo warranto, and habeas corpus.

(2)
Review, revise, reverse, modify, or affirm on appeal or certiorari,
as the law or the Rules of Court may provide, final judgments
and orders of lower courts in:

(a)
All cases in which the constitutionality or validity of any treaty,
international or executive agreement, law, presidential decree,
proclamation, order, instruction, ordinance, or regulation is
in question.

(b)
All cases involving the legality of any tax, impost, assessment,
or toll, or any penalty imposed in relation thereto.

(c)
All cases in which the jurisdiction of any lower court is in issue.

(d)
All criminal cases in which the penalty imposed is reclusion perpetua
or higher.

(e)
All cases in which only an error or question of law is involved.

(3)
Assign temporarily judges of lower courts to other stations as
public interest may require. Such temporary assignment shall not
exceed six months without the consent of the judge concerned.

(4)
Order a change of venue or place of trial to avoid a miscarriage
of justice.

(5)
Promulgate rules concerning the protection and enforcement of
constitutional rights, pleading, practice, and procedure in all
courts, the admission to the practice of law, the Integrated Bar,
and legal assistance to the underprivileged. Such rules shall
provide a simplified and inexpensive procedure for the speedy
disposition of cases, shall be uniform for all courts of the same
grade, and shall not diminish, increase, or modify substantive
rights. Rules of procedure of special courts and quasi-judicial
bodies shall remain effective unless disapproved by the Supreme
Court.

(6)
Appoint all officials and employees of the Judiciary in accordance
with the Civil Service Law.

SECTION
6. The Supreme Court shall have the administrative supervision
over all courts and the personnel thereof.

SECTION
7. (1) No person shall be appointed Member of the Supreme Court
or any lower collegiate court unless he is a natural-born citizen
of the Philippines. A Member of the Supreme Court must be at least
forty years of age and, must have been for fifteen years or more
a judge of a lower court or engaged in the practice of law in
the Philippines.

(2)
The Congress shall prescribe the qualifications of judges of lower
courts, but no person may be appointed judge thereof unless he
is a citizen of the Philippines and a member of the Philippine
Bar.

(3)
A Member of the Judiciary must be a person of proven competence,
integrity, probity, and independence.

SECTION
8. (1) A Judicial and Bar Council is hereby created under the
supervision of the Supreme Court composed of the Chief Justice
as ex officio Chairman, the Secretary of Justice, and a representative
of the Congress as ex officio Members, a representative of the
Integrated Bar, a professor of law, a retired Member of the Supreme
Court, and a representative of the private sector.

(2)
The regular Members of the Council shall be appointed by the President
for a term of four years with the consent of the Commission on
Appointments. Of the Members first appointed, the representative
of the Integrated Bar shall serve for four years, the professor
of law for three years, the retired Justice for two years, and
the representative of the private sector for one year.

(3)
The Clerk of the Supreme Court shall be the Secretary ex officio
of the Council and shall keep a record of its proceedings.

(4)
The regular Members of the Council shall receive such emoluments
as may be determined by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court shall
provide in its annual budget the appropriations for the Council.

(5)
The Council shall have the principal function of recommending
appointees to the Judiciary. It may exercise such other functions
and duties as the Supreme Court may assign to it.

SECTION
9. The Members of the Supreme Court and judges of lower courts
shall be appointed by the President from a list of at least three
nominees prepared by the Judicial and Bar Council for every vacancy.
Such appointments need no confirmation.

For
the lower courts, the President shall issue the appointments within
ninety days from the submission of the list.

SECTION
10. The salary of the Chief Justice and of the Associate Justices
of the Supreme Court, and of judges of lower courts shall be fixed
by law. During their continuance in office, their salary shall
not be decreased.

SECTION
11. The Members of the Supreme Court and judges of lower courts
shall hold office during good behavior until they reached the
age of seventy years or become incapacitated to discharge the
duties of their office. The Supreme Court en banc shall have the
power to discipline judges of lower courts, or order their dismissal
by a vote of a majority of the Members who actually took part
in the deliberations on the issues in the case and voted thereon.

SECTION
12. The Members of the Supreme Court and of other courts established
by law shall not be designated to any agency performing quasi-judicial
or administrative functions.

SECTION
13. The conclusions of the Supreme Court in any case submitted
to it for decision en banc or in division shall be reached in
consultation before the case is assigned to a Member for the writing
of the opinion of the Court. A certification to this effect signed
by the Chief Justice shall be issued and a copy thereof attached
to the record of the case and served upon the parties. Any Member
who took no part, or dissented, or abstained from a decision or
resolution must state the reason therefor. The same requirements
shall be observed by all lower collegiate courts.

SECTION
14. No decision shall be rendered by any court without expressing
therein clearly and distinctly the facts and the law on which
it is based.

No
petition for review or motion for reconsideration of a decision
of the court shall be refused due course or denied without stating
the legal basis therefor.

SECTION
15. (1) All cases or matters filed after the effectivity of this
Constitution must be decided or resolved within twenty-four months
from date of submission for the Supreme Court, and, unless reduced
by the Supreme Court, twelve months for all lower collegiate courts,
and three months for all other lower courts.

(2)
A case or matter shall be deemed submitted for decision or resolution
upon the filing of the last pending, brief, or memorandum required
by the Rules of Court or by the court itself.

(3)
Upon the expiration of the corresponding period, a certification
to this effect signed by the Chief Justice or the presiding judge
shall forthwith be issued and a copy thereof attached to the record
of the case or matter, and served upon the parties. The certification
shall state why a decision or resolution has not been rendered
or issued within said period.

(4)
Despite the expiration of the applicable mandatory period, the
court, without prejudice to such responsibility as may have been
incurred in consequence thereof, shall decide or resolve the case
or matter submitted thereto for determination, without further
delay.

SECTION
16. The Supreme Court shall, within thirty days from the opening
of each regular session of the Congress, submit to the President
and the Congress an annual report on the operations and activities
of the Judiciary.

ARTICLE
9

Constitutional
Commissions

A.
Common Provisions

SECTION
1. The Constitutional Commissions, which shall be independent,
are the Civil Service Commission, the Commission on Elections,
and the Commission on Audit.

SECTION
2. No Member of a Constitutional Commission shall, during his
tenure, hold any other office or employment. Neither shall he
engage in the practice of any profession or in the active management
or control of any business which in any way be affected by the
functions of his office, nor shall he be financially interested,
directly or indirectly, in any contract with, or in any franchise
or privilege granted by the Government, any of its subdivisions,
agencies, or instrumentalities, including government-owned or
controlled corporation or their subsidiaries.

SECTION
3. The salary of the Chairman and the Commissioners shall be fixed
by law and shall not be decreased during their tenure.

SECTION
4. The Constitutional Commissions shall appoint their officials
and employees in accordance with law.

SECTION
6. Each Commission en banc may promulgate its own rules concerning
pleadings and practice before it or before any of its offices.
Such rules, however, shall not diminish, increase, or modify substantive
rights.

SECTION 7. Each Commission shall decide by a majority vote of
all its Members any case or matter brought before it within sixty
days from the date of its submission for decision or resolution.
A case or matter is deemed submitted for decision or resolution
upon the filing of the last pleading, brief, or memorandum required
by the rules of the Commission or by the Commission itself. Unless
otherwise provided by this Constitution or by law, any decision,
order, or ruling of each Commission may be brought to the Supreme
Court on certiorari by the aggrieved party within thirty days
from receipt of a copy thereof.

SECTION
8. Each Commission shall perform such other functions as may be
provided by law.

B.
The Civil Service Commission

SECTION
1. (1) The Civil Service shall be administered by the Civil Service
Commission composed of a Chairman and two Commissioners who shall
be natural-born citizens of the Philippines and, at the time of
their appointment, at least thirty-five years of age, with proven
capacity for public administration, and must not have been candidates
for any elective position in the elections immediately preceding
their appointment.

(2)
The Chairman and the Commissioners shall be appointed by the President
with the consent of the Commission on Appointments for a term
of seven years without reappointment. Of those first appointed,
the Chairman shall hold office for seven years, a Commissioner
for five years, and another Commissioner for three years, without
reappointment. Appointment to any vacancy shall be only for the
unexpired term of the predecessor. In no case shall any Member
be appointed or designated in a temporary or acting capacity.

SECTION
2. (1) The civil service embraces all branches, subdivisions,
instrumentalities, and agencies of the Government, including government-owned
or controlled corporations with original charters.

(2)
Appointments in the civil service shall be made only according
to merit and fitness to be determined, as far as practicable,
and, except as to positions which are policy-determining, primarily
confidential, or highly technical, by competitive examination.

(3)
No officer or employee of the civil service shall be removed or
suspended except for cause provided by law.

(4)
No officer or employee in the civil service shall engage, directly
or indirectly, in any electioneering or partisan political campaign.

(5)
The right to self-organization shall not be denied to government
employees.

(6)
Temporary employees of the Government shall be given such protection
as may be provided by law.

SECTION
3. The Civil Service Commission, as the central personnel agency
of the Government, shall establish a career service and adopt
measures to promote morale, efficiency, integrity, responsiveness,
progressiveness, and courtesy in the civil service. It shall strengthen
the merit and rewards system, integrate all human resources development
programs for all levels and ranks, and institutionalize a management
climate conducive to public accountability. It shall submit to
the President and the Congress an annual report on its personnel
programs.

SECTION
4. All public officers and employees shall take an oath or affirmation
to uphold and defend this Constitution.

SECTION
5. The Congress shall provide for the standardization of compensation
of government officials, including those in government-owned or
controlled corporations with original charters, taking into account
the nature of the responsibilities pertaining to, and the qualifications
required for their positions.

SECTION
6. No candidate who has lost in any election shall, within one
year after such election, be appointed to any office in the Government
of any government-owned or controlled corporations or in any of
its subsidiaries.

SECTION
7. No elective official shall be eligible for appointment or designation
in any capacity to any public office or position during his tenure.

Unless
otherwise allowed by law or by the primary functions of his position,
no appointive official shall hold any other office or employment
in the Government or any subdivision, agency or instrumentality
thereof, including government-owned or controlled corporations
or their subsidiaries.

SECTION
8. No elective or appointive public officer or employee shall
receive additional, double, or indirect compensation, unless specifically
authorized by law, nor accept without the consent of the Congress,
any present, emolument, office, or title of any kind from any
foreign government.

Pensions
or gratuities shall not be considered as additional, double, or
indirect compensation.

C.
The Commission on Elections

SECTION
1. (1) There shall be a Commission on Elections composed of a
Chairman and six Commissioners who shall be natural-born citizens
of the Philippines and, at the time of their appointment, at least
thirty-five years of age, holders of a college degree, and must
not have been candidates for any elective position in the immediately
preceding elections. However, a majority thereof, including the
Chairman, shall be Members of the Philippine Bar who have been
engaged in the practice of law for at least ten years.

(2)
The Chairman and the Commissioners shall be appointed by the President
with the consent of the Commission on Appointments for a term
of seven years without reappointment. Of those first appointed,
three Members shall hold office for seven years, two Members for
five years, and the last Members for three years, without reappointment.
Appointment to a vacancy shall be only for the unexpired term
of the predecessor. In no case shall any Member be appointed or
designated in a temporary or acting capacity.

SECTION
2. The Commission on Elections shall exercise the following powers
and functions :

(1)
Enforce and administer all laws and regulations relative to the
conduct of an election, plebiscite, initiative, referendum, and
recall.

(2)
Exercise exclusive original jurisdiction over all contests relating
to the elections, returns, and qualifications of all elective
regional, provincial, and city officials, and appellate jurisdiction
over all contests involving elective municipal officials decided
by trial courts of general jurisdiction, or involving elective
barangay officials decided by trial courts of limited jurisdiction.

Decisions, final orders, or rulings of the Commission on election
contests involving elective municipal and barangay offices shall
be final, executory, and not appealable.
(3) Decide, except those involving the right to vote, all questions
affecting elections, including determination of the number and
location of polling places, appointment of election officials
and inspectors, and registration of voters.

(4)
Deputize, with the concurrence of the President, law enforcement
agencies and instrumentalities of the Government, including the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, for the exclusive purpose of
ensuring free, orderly, honest, peaceful, and credible elections.

(5)
Register, after sufficient publication, political parties, organizations,
or coalitions which, in addition to other requirements, must present
their platform or program of government; and accredit citizens'
arms of the Commission on Elections. Religious denominations and
sects shall not be registered. Those which seek to achieve their
goals through violence or unlawful means, or refuse to uphold
and adhere to this Constitution, or which are supported by any
foreign government shall likewise be refused registration.
Financial contributions from foreign governments and their agencies
to political parties, organizations, coalitions, or candidates
related to elections constitute interference in national affairs,
and, when accepted, shall be an additional ground for the cancellation
of their registration with the Commission, in addition to other
penalties that may be prescribed by law.

(6)
File, upon a verified complaint, or on its own initiative, petitions
in court for inclusion or exclusion of voters; investigate and,
where appropriate, prosecute cases of violations of election laws,
including acts or omissions constituting election frauds, offenses,
and malpractices.

(7)
Recommend to the Congress effective measures to minimize election
spending, including limitation of places where propaganda materials
shall be posted, and to prevent and penalize all forms of election
frauds, offenses, malpractices, and nuisance candidates.
(8) Recommend to the President the removal of any officer or employee
it has deputized, or the imposition of any other disciplinary
action, for violation or disregard of, or disobedience to its
directive, order, or decision.

(9)
Submit to the President and the Congress a comprehensive report
on the conduct of each election, plebiscite, initiative, referendum,
or recall.

SECTION
3. The Commission on Elections may sit en banc or in two divisions,
and shall promulgate its rules of procedure in order to expedite
disposition of election cases, including pre-proclamation controversies.
All such election cases shall be heard and decided in division,
provided that motions for reconsideration of decisions shall be
decided by the Commission en banc.

SECTION
4. The Commission may, during the election period, supervise or
regulate the enjoyment or utilization of all franchises or permits
for the operation of transportation and other public utilities,
media of communication or information, all grants, special privileges,
or concessions granted by the Government or any subdivision, agency,
or instrumentality thereof, including any government-owned or
controlled corporation or its subsidiary. Such supervision or
regulation shall aim to ensure equal opportunity, time and space,
and the right to reply, including reasonable, equal rates therefor,
for public information campaigns and forums among candidates in
connection with the objective of holding free, orderly, honest,
peaceful, and credible elections.

SECTION
5. No pardon, amnesty, parole, or suspension of sentence for violation
of election laws, rules, and regulations shall be granted by the
President without the favorable recommendation of the Commission.

SECTION
6. A free and open party system shall be allowed to evolve according
to the free choice of the people, subject to the provisions of
this Article.

SECTION
7. No votes cast in favor of a political party, organization,
or coalition shall be valid, except for those registered under
the party-list system as provided in this Constitution.

SECTION
8. Political parties, or organizations or coalitions registered
under the party-list system, shall not be represented in the voters'
registration boards, boards of election inspectors, boards of
canvassers, or other similar bodies. However, they shall be entitled
to appoint poll watchers in accordance with law.

SECTION
9. Unless otherwise fixed by the Commission in special cases,
the election period shall commence ninety days before the day
of the election and shall end thirty days after.

SECTION
10. Bona fide candidates for any public office shall be free from
any form of harassment and discrimination.

SECTION
11. Funds certified by the Commission as necessary to defray the
expenses for holding regular and special elections, plebiscites,
initiatives, referenda, and recalls, shall be provided in the
regular or special appropriations and, once approved, shall be
released automatically upon certification by the Chairman of the
Commission.

D.
Commission on Audit

SECTION
1. (1) There shall be a Commission on Audit composed of a Chairman
and two Commissioners, who shall be natural-born citizens of the
Philippines and, at the time of their appointment, at least thirty-five
years of age, certified public accountants with not less than
ten years of auditing experience, or members of the Philippine
Bar who have been engaged in the practice of law for at least
ten years, and must not have been candidates for any elective
position in the elections immediately preceding their appointment.
At no time shall all Members of the Commission belong to the same
profession.

(2)
The Chairman and the Commissioners shall be appointed by the President
with the consent of the Commission on Appointments for a term
of seven years without reappointment. Of those first appointed,
the Chairman shall hold office for seven years, one Commissioner
for five years, and the other Commissioner for three years, without
reappointment. Appointment to any vacancy shall be only for the
unexpired portion of the term of the predecessor. In no case shall
any Member be appointed or designated in a temporary or acting
capacity.

SECTION
2. (1) The Commission on Audit shall have the power, authority
and duty to examine, audit, and settle all accounts pertaining
to the revenue and receipts of, and expenditures or uses of funds
and property, owned or held in trust by, or pertaining to, the
Government, or any of its subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities,
including government-owned and controlled corporations with original
charters, and on a post-audit basis: (a) constitutional bodies,
commissions and offices that have been granted fiscal autonomy
under this Constitution; (b) autonomous state colleges and universities;
(c) other government-owned or controlled corporations and their
subsidiaries; and (d) such non-governmental entities receiving
subsidy or equity, directly or indirectly, from or through the
government, which are required by law or the granting institution
to submit to such audit as a condition of subsidy or equity. However,
where the internal control system of the audited agencies is inadequate,
the Commission may adopt such measures, including temporary or
special pre-audit, as are necessary and appropriate to correct
the deficiencies. It shall keep the general accounts of the Government
and, for such period as may be provided by law, preserve the vouchers
and other supporting papers pertaining thereto.

(2)
The Commission shall have exclusive authority, subject to the
limitations in this Article, to define the scope of its audit
and examination, establish the techniques and methods required
therefor, and promulgate accounting and auditing rules and regulations,
including those for the prevention and disallowance of irregular,
unnecessary, excessive, extravagant, or unconscionable expenditures,
or uses of government funds and properties.

SECTION
3. No law shall be passed exempting any entity of the Government
or its subsidiary in any guise whatever, or any investment of
public funds, from the jurisdiction of the Commission on Audit.

SECTION
4. The Commission shall submit to the President and the Congress,
within the time fixed by law, an annual report covering the financial
condition and operation of the Government, its subdivisions, agencies,
and instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled
corporations, and non-governmental entities subject to its audit,
and recommend measures necessary to improve their effectiveness
and efficiency. It shall submit such other reports as may be required
by law.

ARTICLE 10
Local Government

General
Provisions

SECTION
1. The territorial and political subdivisions of the Republic
of the Philippines are the provinces, cities, municipalities,
and barangays. There shall be autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao
and the Cordilleras as hereinafter provided.

SECTION
2. The territorial and political subdivisions shall enjoy local
autonomy.

SECTION
3. The Congress shall enact a local government code which shall
provide for a more responsive and accountable local government
structure instituted through a system of decentralization with
effective mechanisms of recall, initiative, and referendum, allocate
among the different local government units their powers, responsibilities,
and resources, and provide for the qualifications, election, appointment
and removal, term, salaries, powers and functions and duties of
local officials, and all other matters relating to the organization
and operation of local units.

SECTION
4. The President of the Philippines shall exercise general supervision
over local governments. Provinces with respect to component cities
and municipalities, and cities and municipalities with respect
to component barangays shall ensure that the acts of their component
units are within the scope of their prescribed powers and functions.

SECTION
5. Each local government unit shall have the power to create its
own sources of revenues and to levy taxes, fees, and charges subject
to such guidelines and limitations as the Congress may provide,
consistent with the basic policy of local autonomy. Such taxes,
fees, and charges shall accrue exclusively to the local governments.

SECTION
6. Local government units shall have a just share, as determined
by law, in the national taxes which shall be automatically released
to them.

SECTION
7. Local governments shall be entitled to an equitable share in
the proceeds of the utilization and development of the national
wealth within their respective areas, in the manner provided by
law, including sharing the same with the inhabitants by way of
direct benefits.

SECTION
8. The term of office of elective local officials, except barangay
officials, which shall be determined by law, shall be three years
and no such official shall serve for more than three consecutive
terms. Voluntary renunciation of the office for any length of
time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity
of his service for the full term for which he was elected.

SECTION
9. Legislative bodies of local governments shall have sectoral
representation as may be prescribed by law.

SECTION
10. No province, city, municipality, or barangay may be created,
divided, merged, abolished, or its boundary substantially altered,
except in accordance with the criteria established in the Local
Government Code and subject to approval by a majority of the votes
cast in a plebiscite in the political units directly affected.

SECTION
11. The Congress may, by law, create special metropolitan political
subdivisions, subject to a plebiscite as set forth in Section
10 hereof. The component cities and municipalities shall retain
their basic autonomy and shall be entitled to their own local
executives and legislative assemblies. The jurisdiction of the
metropolitan authority that will hereby be created shall be limited
to basic services requiring coordination.

SECTION
12. Cities that are highly urbanized, as determined by law, and
component cities whose charters prohibit their voters from voting
for provincial elective officials, shall be independent of the
province. The voters of component cities within a province, whose
charters contain no such prohibition, shall not be deprived of
their right to vote for elective provincial officials.

SECTION
13. Local government units may group themselves, consolidate or
coordinate their efforts, services, and resources for purposes
commonly beneficial to them in accordance with law.

SECTION
14. The President shall provide for regional development councils
and other similar bodies composed of local government officials,
regional heads of departments and other government offices, and
representatives from non-governmental organizations within the
regions for purposes of administrative decentralization to strengthen
the autonomy of the units therein and to accelerate the economic
and social growth and development of the units in the region.

Autonomous
Region

SECTION
15. There shall be created autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao
and in the Cordilleras consisting of provinces, cities, municipalities,
and geographical areas sharing common and distinctive historical
and cultural heritage, economic and social structures, and other
relevant characteristics within the framework of this Constitution
and the national sovereignty as well as territorial integrity
of the Republic of the Philippines.

SECTION
16. The President shall exercise general supervision over autonomous
regions to ensure that the laws are faithfully executed.

SECTION
17. All powers, functions, and responsibilities not granted by
this Constitution or by law to the autonomous regions shall be
vested in the National Government.

SECTION
18. The Congress shall enact an organic act for each autonomous
region with the assistance and participation of the regional consultative
commission composed of representatives appointed by the President
from a list of nominees from multisectoral bodies. The organic
act shall define the basic structure of government from the region
consisting of the executive department and legislative assembly,
both of which shall be elective and representative of the constituent
political units. The organic acts shall likewise provide for special
courts with personal, family, and property law jurisdiction consistent
with the provisions of this Constitution and national laws.

The
creation of the autonomous region shall be effective when approved
by majority of the votes cast by the constituent units in a plebiscite
called for the purpose, provided that only provinces, cities,
and geographic areas voting favorably in such plebiscite shall
be included in the autonomous region.

SECTION
19. The first Congress elected under this Constitution shall,
within eighteen months from the time of organization of both Houses,
pass the organic acts for the autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao
and the Cordilleras.

SECTION
20. Within its territorial jurisdiction and subject to the provisions
of this Constitution and national laws, the organic act of autonomous
regions shall provide for legislative powers over:

(1)
Administrative organization;
(2) Creation of sources of revenues;
(3) Ancestral domain and natural resources;
(4) Personal, family, and property relations;
(5) Regional urban and rural planning development;
(6) Economic, social, and tourism development;
(7) Educational policies;
(8) Preservation and development of the cultural heritage; and
(9) Such other matters as may be authorized by law for the promotion
of the general welfare of the people of the region.

SECTION
21. The preservation of peace and order within the regions shall
be the responsibility of the local police agencies which shall
be organized, maintained, supervised, and utilized in accordance
with applicable laws. The defense and security of the regions
shall be the responsibility of the National Government.

ARTICLE 11

Accountability
of Public Officers

SECTION
1. Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees
must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with
utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, act
with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.

SECTION
2. The President, the Vice-President, the Members of the Supreme
Court, the Members of the Constitutional Commissions, and the
Ombudsman may be removed from office, on impeachment for, and
conviction of, culpable violation of the Constitution, treason,
bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal
of public trust. All other public officers and employees may be
removed from office as provided by law, but not by impeachment.

SECTION
3. (1) The House of Representatives shall have the exclusive power
to initiate all cases of impeachment.

(2)
A verified complaint for impeachment may be filed by any Member
of the House of Representatives or by any citizen upon a resolution
of endorsement by any Member thereof, which shall be included
in the Order of Business within ten session days, and referred
to the proper Committee within three session days thereafter.
The Committee, after hearing, and by a majority vote of all its
Members, shall submit its report to the House within sixty session
days from such referral, together with the corresponding resolution.
The resolution shall be calendared for consideration by the House
within ten session days from receipt thereof.

(3)
A vote of at least one-third of all the Members of the House shall
be necessary either to affirm a favorable resolution with the
Articles of Impeachment of the Committee, or override its contrary
resolution. The vote of each Member shall be recorded.

(4)
In case the verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is
filed by at least one-third of all the Members of the House, the
same shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by
the Senate shall forthwith proceed.

(5)
No impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same
official more than once within a period of one year.

(6)
The Senate shall have the sole power to try and decide all cases
of impeachment. When sitting for that purpose, the Senators shall
be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the Philippines
is on trial, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall preside,
but shall not vote. No person shall be convicted without the concurrence
of two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate.

(7)
Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than
removal from office and disqualification to hold any office under
the Republic of the Philippines, but the party convicted shall
nevertheless be liable and subject to prosecution, trial, and
punishment according to law.

(8)
The Congress shall promulgate its rules on impeachment to effectively
carry out the purpose of this section.

SECTION
4. The present anti-graft court known as the Sandiganbayan shall
continue to function and exercise its jurisdiction as now or hereafter
may be provided by law.

SECTION
5. There is hereby created the independent Office of the Ombudsman,
composed of the Ombudsman to be known as Tanodbayan, one overall
Deputy, and at least one Deputy each for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
A separate Deputy for the military establishment may likewise
be appointed.

SECTION
6. The officials and employees of the Office of the Ombudsman,
other than the Deputies, shall be appointed by the Ombudsman according
to the Civil Service Law.

SECTION
7. The existing Tanodbayan shall hereafter be known as the Office
of the Special Prosecutor. It shall continue to function and exercise
its powers as now or hereafter may be provided by law, except
those conferred on the Office of the Ombudsman created under this
Constitution.

SECTION
8. The Ombudsman and his Deputies shall be natural-born citizens
of the Philippines, and at the time of their appointment, at least
forty years old, of recognized probity and independence, and members
of the Philippine Bar, and must not have been candidates for any
elective office in the immediately preceding election. The Ombudsman
must have for ten years or more been a judge or engaged in the
practice of law in the Philippines.

During
their tenure, they shall be subject to the same disqualifications
and prohibitions as provided for in Section 2 of Article IX-A
of this Constitution.

SECTION
9. The Ombudsman and his Deputies shall be appointed by the President
from a list of at least six nominees prepared by the Judicial
and Bar Council, and from a list of three nominees for every vacancy
thereafter. Such appointments shall require no confirmation. All
vacancies shall be filled within three months after they occur.

SECTION
10. The Ombudsman and his Deputies shall have the rank of Chairman
and Members, respectively, of the Constitutional Commissions,
and they shall receive the same salary, which shall not be decreased
during their term of office.

SECTION
11. The Ombudsman and his Deputies shall serve for a term of seven
years without reappointment. They shall not be qualified to run
for any office in the election immediately succeeding their cessation
from office.

SECTION
12. The Ombudsman and his Deputies, as protectors of the people,
shall act promptly on complaints filed in any form or manner against
public officials or employees of the Government, or any agency,
subdivision or instrumentality thereof, including government-owned
or controlled corporations, and shall, in appropriate cases, notify
the complainants of the actions taken and the result thereof.

SECTION
13. The Office of the Ombudsman shall have the following powers,
functions, and duties :

(1)
Investigate on its own, or on complaint by any person, any act
or omission of any public official, employee, office or agency,
when such act or omission appears to be illegal, unjust, improper,
or inefficient.
(2) Direct, upon complaint or at its own instance, any public
official or employee of the Government, or any subdivision, agency
or instrumentality thereof, as well as of any government-owned
or controlled corporation with original charter, to perform and
expedite any act or duty required by law, or to stop, prevent,
and correct any abuse or impropriety in the performance of duties.
(3) Direct the officer concerned to take appropriate action against
a public official or employee at fault, and recommend his removal,
suspension, demotion, fine, censure, or prosecution, and ensure
compliance therewith.
(4) Direct the officer concerned, in any appropriate case, and
subject to such limitations as may be provided by law, to furnish
it with copies of documents relating to contracts and transactions
entered into by his office involving the disbursement or use of
public funds or properties, and report any irregularity to the
Commission on Audit for appropriate action.
(5) Request any government agency for assistance and information
necessary in the discharge of its responsibilities, and to examine,
if necessary, pertinent records and documents.
(6) Publicize matters covered by its investigation when circumstances
so warrant and with due prudence.
(7) Determine the causes of inefficiency, red tape, mismanagement,
fraud, and corruption in the Government and make recommendations
for their elimination and the observance of high standards of
ethics and efficiency.
(8) Promulgate its rules of procedure and exercise such other
powers or perform such functions or duties as may be provided
by law.

SECTION
15. The right of the State to recover properties unlawfully acquired
by public officials and employees, from them or from their nominees
or transferees, shall not be barred by prescription, laches, or
estoppel.

SECTION
16. No loan, guaranty, or other form of financial accommodation
for any business purpose may be granted, directly or indirectly,
by any government-owned or controlled bank or financial institution
to the President, the Vice-President, the Members of the Cabinet,
the Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Constitutional Commissions,
the Ombudsman, or to any firm or entity in which they have controlling
interest, during their tenure.

SECTION
17. A public officer or employee shall, upon assumption of office
and as often thereafter as may be required by law, submit a declaration
under oath of his assets, liabilities, and net worth. In the case
of the President, the Vice-President, the Members of the Cabinet,
the Congress, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Commissions
and other constitutional offices, and officers of the armed forces
with general or flag rank, the declaration shall be disclosed
to the public in the manner provided by law.

SECTION
18. Public officers and employees owe the State and this Constitution
allegiance at all times, and any public officer or employee who
seeks to change his citizenship or acquire the status of an immigrant
of another country during his tenure shall be dealt with by law.

ARTICLE
12

National
Economy and Patrimony

SECTION
1. The goals of the national economy are a more equitable distribution
of opportunities, income, and wealth; a sustained increase in
the amount of goods and services produced by the nation for the
benefit of the people; and an expanding productivity as the key
raising the quality of life for all, especially the underprivileged.

The
State shall promote industrialization and full employment based
on sound agricultural development and agrarian reform, through
industries that make full and efficient use of human and natural
resources, and which are competitive in both domestic and foreign
markets. However, the State shall protect Filipino enterprises
against unfair foreign competition and trade practices.

In
the pursuit of these goals, all sectors of the economy and all
regions of the country shall be given optimum opportunity to develop.
Private enterprises, including corporations, cooperatives, and
similar collective organizations, shall be encouraged to broaden
the base of their ownership.

SECTION
2. All lands of the public domain, waters, minerals, coal, petroleum,
and other mineral oils, all forces of potential energy, fisheries,
forests or timber, wildlife, flora and fauna, and other natural
resources are owned by the State. With the exception of agricultural
lands, all other natural resources shall not be alienated. The
exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources
shall be under the full control and supervision of the State.
The State may directly undertake such activities, or it may enter
into co-production, joint venture, or production-sharing agreements
with Filipino citizens, or corporations or associations at least
sixty per centum of whose capital is owned by such citizens. Such
agreements may be for a period not exceeding twenty-five years,
renewable for not more than twenty-five years, and under such
terms and conditions as may be provided by law. In cases of water
rights for irrigation, water supply, fisheries, or industrial
uses other than the development of water power, beneficial use
may be the measure and limit of the grant.

The
State shall protect the nation's marine wealth in its archipelagic
waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone, and reserve
its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens.

The
Congress may, by law, allow small-scale utilization of natural
resources by Filipino citizens, as well as cooperative fish farming,
with priority to subsistence fishermen and fishworkers in rivers,
lakes, bays, and lagoons.

The
President may enter into agreements with foreign-owned corporations
involving either technical of financial assistance for large-scale
exploration, development, and utilization of minerals, petroleum,
and other mineral oils according to the general terms and conditions
provided by law, based on real contributions to the economic growth
and general welfare of the country. In such agreements, the State
shall promote the development and use of local scientific and
technical resources.

The
President shall notify the Congress of every contract entered
into in accordance with this provision, within thirty days from
its execution.

SECTION
3. Lands of the public domain are classified into agricultural,
forest or timber, mineral lands, and national parks. Agricultural
lands of the public domain may be further classified by law according
to the uses which they may be devoted. Alienable lands of the
public domain shall be limited to agricultural lands. Private
corporations or associations may not hold such alienable lands
of the public domain except by lease, for a period not exceeding
twenty-five years, renewable for not more than twenty-five years,
and not to exceed one thousand hectares in area. Citizens of the
Philippines may lease not more than five hundred hectares, or
acquire not more than twelve hectares thereof by purchase, homestead,
or grant.

Taking
into account the requirements of conservation, ecology, and development,
and subject to the requirements of agrarian reform, the Congress
shall determine, by law, the size of lands of the public domain
which may be acquired, developed, held, or leased and the conditions
therefor.

SECTION
4. The Congress shall, as soon as possible, determine by law the
specific limits of forest lands and national parks, marking clearly
their boundaries on the ground. Thereafter, such forest lands
and national parks shall be conserved and may not be increased
nor diminished, except by law. The Congress shall provide, for
such period as it may determine, measures to prohibit logging
in endangered forests and watershed areas.

SECTION
5. The State, subject to the provisions of this Constitution and
national development policies and programs, shall protect the
rights of indigenous cultural communities to their ancestral lands
to ensure their economic, social, and cultural well-being.

The
Congress may provide for the applicability of customary laws governing
property rights or relations in determining the ownership and
extent of ancestral domain.

SECTION
6. The use of property bears a social function, and all economic
agents shall contribute to the common good. Individuals and private
groups, including corporations, cooperatives, and similar collective
organizations, shall have the right to own, establish, and operate
economic enterprises, subject to the duty of the State to promote
distributive justice and to intervene when the common good so
demands.

SECTION
7. Save in cases of hereditary succession, no private lands shall
be transferred or conveyed except to individuals, corporations,
or associations qualified to acquire or hold lands of the public
domain.

SECTION
8. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 7 of this Article,
a natural-born citizen of the Philippines who has lost his Philippine
citizenship may be a transferee of private lands, subject to limitations
provided by law.

SECTION
9. The Congress may establish an independent economic and planning
agency headed by the President, which shall, after consultations
with the appropriate public agencies, various private sectors,
and local government units, recommend to Congress, and implement
continuing integrated and coordinated programs and policies for
national development.

Until
the Congress provides otherwise, the National Economic and Development
Authority shall function as the independent planning agency of
the government.

SECTION
10. The Congress shall, upon recommendation of the economic and
planning agency, when the national interest dictates, reserve
to citizens of the Philippines or to corporations or associations
at least sixty per centum of whose capital is owned by such citizens,
or such higher percentage as Congress may prescribe, certain areas
of investments. The Congress shall enact measures that will encourage
the formation and operation of enterprises whose capital is wholly
owned by Filipinos.

In
the grant of rights, privileges, and concessions covering the
national economy and patrimony, the State shall give preference
to qualified Filipinos.

The
State shall regulate and exercise authority over foreign investments
within its national jurisdiction and in accordance with its national
goals and priorities.

SECTION
11. No franchise, certificate, or any other form of authorization
for the operation of a public utility shall be granted except
to citizens of the Philippines or to corporations or associations
organized under the laws of the Philippines at least sixty per
centum of whose capital is owned by such citizens, nor shall such
franchise, certificate, or authorization be exclusive in character
or for a longer period than fifty years. Neither shall any such
franchise or right be granted except under the condition that
it shall be subject to amendment, alteration, or repeal by the
Congress when the common good so requires. The State shall encourage
equity participation in public utilities by the general public.
The participation of foreign investors in the governing body of
any public utility enterprise shall be limited to their proportionate
share in its capital, and all the executive and managing officers
of such corporation or association must be citizens of the Philippines.

SECTION
12. The State shall promote the preferential use of Filipino labor,
domestic materials and locally produced goods, and adopt measures
that help make them competitive.

SECTION
13. The State shall pursue a trade policy that serves the general
welfare and utilizes all forms and arrangements of exchange on
the basis of equality and reciprocity.
SECTION 14. The sustained development of a reservoir of national
talents consisting of Filipino scientists, entrepreneurs, professionals,
managers, high-level technical manpower and skilled workers and
craftsmen in all fields shall be promoted by the State. The State
shall encourage appropriate technology and regulate its transfer
for the national benefit.

The
practice of all professions in the Philippines shall be limited
to Filipino citizens, save in cases prescribed by law.

SECTION
15. The Congress shall create an agency to promote the viability
and growth of cooperatives as instruments for social justice and
economic development.

SECTION
16. The Congress shall not, except by general law, provide for
the formation, organization, or regulation of private corporations.
Government-owned or controlled corporations may be created or
established by special charters in the interest of the common
good and subject to the test of economic viability.

SECTION
17. In times of national emergency, when the public interest so
requires, the State may, during the emergency and under reasonable
terms prescribed by it, temporarily take over or direct the operation
of any privately owned public utility or business affected with
public interest.

SECTION
18. The State may, in the interest of national welfare or defense,
establish and operate vital industries and, upon payment of just
compensation, transfer to public ownership utilities and other
private enterprises to be operated by the Government.

SECTION
19. The State shall regulate or prohibit monopolies when the public
interest so requires. No combinations in restraint of trade or
unfair competition shall be allowed.

SECTION
20. The Congress shall establish an independent central monetary
authority, the members of whose governing board must be natural-born
Filipino citizens, of known integrity, and patriotism, the majority
of whom shall come from the private sector. They shall also be
subject to such other qualifications and disabilities as may be
prescribed by law. The authority shall provide policy direction
in the areas of money, banking, and credit. It shall have supervision
over the operations of banks and exercise such regulatory powers
as may be provided by law over the operations of finance companies
and other institutions performing similar functions.

Until
the Congress otherwise provides, the Central Bank of the Philippines,
operating under existing laws, shall function as the central monetary
authority.

SECTION
21. Foreign loans may only be incurred in accordance with law
and the regulation of the monetary authority. Information on foreign
loans obtained or guaranteed by the Government shall be made available
to the public.

SECTION
22. Acts which circumvent or negate any of the provisions of this
Article shall be considered inimical to the national interest
and subject to criminal and civil sanctions, as may be provided
by law.

ARTICLE
13

Social
Justice and Human Rights

SECTION
1. The Congress shall give highest priority to the enactment of
measures that protect and enhance the right of all the people
to human dignity, reduce social, economic, and political inequalities,
and remove cultural inequities by equitably diffusing wealth and
political power for the common good.

To
this end, the State shall regulate the acquisition, ownership,
use, and disposition of property and its increments.

SECTION
2. The promotion of social justice shall include the commitment
to create economic opportunities based on freedom of initiative
and self-reliance.

Labor

SECTION
3. The State shall afford full protection to labor, local and
overseas, organized and unorganized, and promote full employment
and equality of employment opportunities for all.

It
shall guarantee the rights of all workers to self-organizations,
and peaceful concerted activities, including the right to strike
in accordance with law. They shall be entitled to security of
tenure, humane conditions of work, and a living wage. They shall
also participate in policy and decision-making processes affecting
their rights and benefits as may be provided by law.

The
State shall promote the principle of shared responsibility between
workers and employers and the preferential use of voluntary modes
in settling disputes, including conciliation, and shall enforce
their mutual compliance therewith to foster industrial peace.

The
State shall regulate the relations between workers and employers,
recognizing the right of labor to its just share in the fruits
of production and the right of enterprises to reasonable returns
on investments, and to expansion and growth.

Agrarian
and Natural Resources Reform

SECTION
4. The Sate shall, by law, undertake an agrarian reform program
founded on the right of farmers and regular farmworkers, who are
landless, to own directly or collectively the lands they till
or, in the case of other farmworkers, to receive a just share
of the fruits thereof. To this end, the State shall encourage
and undertake the just distribution of all agricultural lands,
subject to such priorities and reasonable retention limits as
the Congress may prescribe, taking into account ecological, developmental,
or equity considerations, and subject to the payment of just compensation.
In determining retention limits, the State shall respect the rights
of small landowners. The State shall further provide incentives
for voluntary land-sharing.

SECTION
5. The State shall recognize the rights of farmers, farmworkers,
and landowners, as well as cooperatives, and other independent
farmers' organizations to participate in the planning, organization,
and management of the program, and shall provide support to agriculture
through appropriate technology and research, and adequate financial,
production, marketing, and other support services.

SECTION
6. The State shall apply the principles of agrarian reform or
stewardship, whenever applicable in accordance with law, in the
disposition or utilization of other natural resources, including
lands of the public domain under lease or concession suitable
to agriculture, subject to prior rights, homestead rights of small
settlers, and the rights of indigenous communities to their ancestral
lands.

The
State may resettle landless farmers and farmworkers in its own
agricultural estates which shall be distributed to them in the
manner provided by law.

SECTION
7. The State shall protect the rights of subsistence fishermen,
especially of local communities, to the preferential use of local
marine and fishing resources, both inland and offshore. It shall
provide support to such fishermen through appropriate technology
and research, adequate financial, production, and marketing assistance,
and other services. The State shall also protect, develop, and
conserve such resources. The protection shall extend to offshore
fishing grounds of subsistence fishermen against foreign intrusion.
Fishworkers shall receive a just share from their labor in the
utilization of marine and fishing resources.

SECTION
8. The State shall provide incentives to landowners to invest
the proceeds of the agrarian reform program to promote industrialization,
employment creation, and privatization of public sector enterprises.
Financial instruments used as payment for their lands shall be
honored as equity in enterprises of their choice.

Urban
Land Reform and Housing

SECTION
9. The State shall, by law, and for the common good, undertake,
in cooperation with the public sector, a continuing program of
urban land reform and housing which will make available at affordable
cost decent housing and basic services to underprivileged and
homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlement areas. It
shall also promote adequate employment opportunities to such citizens.
In the implementation of such program the State shall respect
the rights of small property owners.

SECTION
10. Urban or rural poor dwellers shall not be evicted nor their
dwellings demolished, except in accordance with law and in a just
and humane manner.

No
resettlement of urban and rural dwellers shall be undertaken without
adequate consultation with them and the communities where they
are to be relocated.

Health

SECTION
11. The State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach
to health development which shall endeavor to make essential goods,
health and other social services available to all people at affordable
cost. There shall be priority for the needs of the underprivileged
sick, elderly, disabled, women, and children. The State shall
endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers.

SECTION
12. The State shall establish and maintain an effective food and
drug regulatory system and undertake appropriate health manpower
development and research, responsive to the country's health needs
and problems.

SECTION 13. The State shall establish a special agency for disabled
persons for rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance,
and their integration into the mainstream of society.

Women

SECTION
14. The State shall protect working women by providing safe and
healthful working conditions, taking into account their maternal
functions, and such facilities and opportunities that will enhance
their welfare and enable them to realize their full potential
in the service of the nation.

Role
and Rights of People's Organizations

SECTION
15. The State shall respect the role of independent people's organizations
to enable the people to pursue and protect, within the democratic
framework, their legitimate and collective interests and aspirations
through peaceful and lawful means.
People's organizations are bona fide associations of citizens
with demonstrated capacity to promote the public interest and
with identifiable leadership, membership, and structure.

SECTION
16. The right of the people and their organizations to effective
and reasonable participation at all levels of social, political,
and economic decision-making shall not be abridged. The State
shall, by law, facilitate the establishment of adequate consultation
mechanisms.

Human
Rights

SECTION
17. (1) There is hereby created an independent office called Commission
on Human Rights.

(2)
The Commission shall be composed of a Chairman and four Members
who must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines and a majority
of whom shall be members of the Bar. The term of office and other
qualifications and disabilities of the Members of the Commission
shall be provided by law.

(3)
Until this Commission is constituted, the existing Presidential
Committee on Human Rights shall continue to exercise its present
functions and powers.

(4)
The approved annual appropriations of the Commission shall be
automatically and regularly released.

SECTION
18. The Commission on Human Rights shall have the following powers
and functions:

(1)
Investigate, on its own or on complaint by any party, all forms
of human rights violations involving civil and political rights;

(2)
Adopt its operational guidelines and rules of procedure, and cite
for contempt for violations thereof in accordance with the Rules
of Court;

(3)
Provide appropriate legal measures for the protection of human
rights of all persons within the Philippines, as well as Filipinos
residing abroad, and provide for preventive measures and legal
aid services to the underprivileged whose human rights have been
violated or need protection;

(5)
Establish a continuing program of research, education, ad information
to enhance respect for the primacy of human rights;

(6)
Recommend to the Congress effective measures to promote human
rights and to provide for compensation to victims of violations
of human rights, or their families;

(7)
Monitor the Philippine Government's compliance with international
treaty obligations on human rights;

(8)
Grant immunity from prosecution to any person whose testimony
or whose possession of documents or other evidence is necessary
or convenient to determine the truth in any investigation conducted
by it or under its authority;

(9)
Request the assistance of any department, bureau, office, or agency
in the performance of its functions;

(10)
Appoint its officers and employees in accordance with law; and

(11)
Perform such other duties and functions as may be provided by
law.

SECTION
19. The Congress may provide for other cases of violations of
human rights that should fall within the authority of the Commission,
taking into account its recommendations.

SECTION
1. The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens
to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate
steps to make such education accessible to all.

SECTION
2. The State shall :

(1)
Establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated
system of education relevant to the needs of the people and society;

(2)
Establish and maintain a system of free public education in the
elementary and high school levels. Without limiting the natural
right of parents to rear their children, elementary education
is compulsory for all children of school age;

(3)
Establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, student
loan programs, subsidies, and other incentives which shall be
available to deserving students in both public and private schools,
especially to the underprivileged;

(4)
Encourage non-formal, informal, and indigenous learning systems,
as well as self-learning, independent, and out-of-school study
programs particularly those that respond to community needs; and

(5)
Provide adult citizens, the disabled, and out-of-school youth
with training in civics, vocational efficiency, and other skills.

SECTION
3. (1) All educational institutions shall include the study of
the Constitution as part of the curricula.

(2)
They shall inculcate patriotism and nationalism, foster love of
humanity, respect for human rights, appreciation of the role of
national heroes in the historical development of the country,
teach the rights and duties of citizenship, strengthen ethical
and spiritual values, develop moral character and personal discipline,
encourage critical and creative thinking, broaden scientific and
technological knowledge, and promote vocational efficiency.

(3)
At the option expressed in writing by the parents or guardians,
religion shall be allowed to be taught to their children or wards
in public elementary and high schools within the regular class
hours by instructors designated or approved by the religious authorities
of the religion to which the children or wards belong, without
additional cost to the Government.

SECTION
4. (1) The State recognizes the complementary roles of public
and private institutions in the educational system and shall exercise
reasonable supervision and regulation of all educational institutions.

(2)
Educational institutions, other than those established by religious
groups and mission boards, shall be owned solely by citizens of
the Philippines or corporations or associations at least sixty
per centum of the capital of which is owned by such citizens.
The Congress may, however, require increased Filipino equity participation
in all educational institutions.

The
control and administration of educational institutions shall be
vested in citizens of the Philippines.

No
educational institution shall be established exclusively for aliens
and no group of aliens shall comprise more than one-third of the
enrollment in any school. The provisions of this subsection shall
not apply to schools established for foreign diplomatic personnel
and their dependents and, unless otherwise provided by law, for
other foreign temporary residents.

(3)
All revenues and assets of non-stock, non-profit educational institutions
used actually, directly, and exclusively for educational purposes
shall be exempt from taxes and duties. Upon the dissolution or
cessation of the corporate existence of such institutions, their
assets shall be disposed of in the manner provided by law.

Proprietary
educational institutions, including those cooperatively owned,
may likewise be entitled to such exemptions subject to the limitations
provided by law including restrictions on dividends and provisions
for reinvestment.

(4)
Subject to conditions prescribed by law, all grants, endowments,
donations, or contributions used actually, directly, and exclusively
for educational purposes shall be exempt from tax.

SECTION
5. (1) The State shall take into account regional and sectoral
needs and conditions and shall encourage local planning in the
development of educational policies and programs.

(2)
Academic freedom shall be enjoyed in all institutions of higher
learning.

(3)
Every citizen has a right to select a profession or course of
study, subject to fair, reasonable, and equitable admission and
academic requirements.

(4)
The State shall enhance the right of teachers to professional
advancement. Non-teaching academic and non-academic personnel
shall enjoy the protection of the State.

(5)
The State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education
and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful
share of the best available talents through adequate remuneration
and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Language

SECTION
6. The national language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it
evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis
of existing Philippine and other languages.
Subject to provisions of law and as the Congress may deem appropriate,
the Government shall take steps to initiate and sustain the use
of Filipino as a medium of official communication and as language
of instruction in the educational system.

SECTION
7. For purposes of communication and instruction, the official
languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise
provided by law, English.
The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in
the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction
therein.

Spanish
and Arabic shall be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis.

SECTION
8. This Constitution shall be promulgated in Filipino and English
and shall be translated into major regional languages, Arabic,
and Spanish.

SECTION
9. The Congress shall establish a national language commission
composed of representatives of various regions and disciplines
which shall undertake, coordinate, and promote researches for
the development, propagation, and preservation of Filipino and
other languages.

Science
and Technology

SECTION
10. Science and technology are essential for national development
and progress. The State shall give priority to research and development,
invention, innovation, and their utilization; and to science and
technology education, training, and services. It shall support
indigenous, appropriate, and self-reliant scientific and technological
capabilities, and their application to the country's productive
systems and national life.

SECTION
11. The Congress may provide for incentives, including tax deductions,
to encourage private participation in programs of basic and applied
scientific research. Scholarships, grants-in-aid, or other forms
of incentives shall be provided to deserving science students,
researchers, scientists, inventors, technologists, and specially
gifted citizens.

SECTION
12. The State shall regulate the transfer and promote the adaptation
of technology from all sources for the national benefit. It shall
encourage the widest participation of private groups, local governments,
and community-based organizations in the generation and utilization
of science and technology.

SECTION
13. The State shall protect and secure the exclusive rights of
scientists, inventors, artists, and other gifted citizens to their
intellectual property and creations, particularly when beneficial
to the people, for such period as may be provided by law.
Arts and Culture

SECTION
14. The State shall foster the preservation, enrichment, and dynamic
evolution of a Filipino national culture based on the principle
of unity in diversity in a climate of free artistic and intellectual
expression.

SECTION
15. Arts and letters shall enjoy the patronage of the State. The
State shall conserve, promote, and popularize the nation's historical
and cultural heritage and resources, as well as artistic creations.

SECTION
16. All the country's artistic and historic wealth constitutes
the cultural treasure of the nation and shall be under the protection
of the State which may regulate its disposition.

SECTION
17. The State shall recognize, respect, and protect the rights
of indigenous cultural communities to preserve and develop their
cultures, traditions, and institutions. It shall consider these
rights in the formulation of national plans and policies.

SECTION
18. (1) The State shall ensure equal access to cultural opportunities
through the educational system, public or private cultural entities,
scholarships, grants and other incentives, and community cultural
centers, and other public venues.

(2)
The State shall encourage and support researches and studies on
the arts and culture.

Sports

SECTION
19. (1) The State shall promote physical education and encourage
sports programs, league competitions, and amateur sports, including
training for international competitions, to foster self-discipline,
teamwork, and excellence for the development of a healthy and
alert citizenry.

(2)
All educational institutions shall undertake regular sports activities
throughout the country in cooperation with athletic clubs and
other sectors.

ARTICLE
15

The
Family

SECTION
1. The State recognizes the Filipino family as the foundation
of the nation. Accordingly, it shall strengthen its solidarity
and actively promote its total development.

SECTION
2. Marriage, as an inviolable social institution, is the foundation
of the family and shall be protected by the State.

SECTION
3. The State shall defend :

(1)
The right of spouses to found a family in accordance with their
religious convictions and the demands of responsible parenthood;

(2)
The right of children to assistance, including proper care and
nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse,
cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their
development;

(3)
The right of the family to a family living wage and income; and

(4)
The right of families or family associations to participate in
the planning and implementation of policies and programs that
affect them.

SECTION
4. The family has the duty to care for its elderly members but
the State may also do so through just programs of social security.

ARTICLE
16

General
Provisions

SECTION
1. The flag of the Philippines shall be red, white, and blue,
with a sun an three stars, as consecrated and honored by the people
and recognized by law.

SECTION
2. The Congress may, by law, adopt a new name for the country,
a national anthem, or a national seal, which shall all be truly
reflective and symbolic of the ideals, history, and traditions
of the people. Such law shall take effect only upon its ratification
by the people in a national referendum.

SECTION
3. The State may not be sued without its consent.

SECTION
4. The Armed Forces of the Philippines shall be composed of a
citizen armed force which shall undergo military training and
serve, as may be provided by law. It shall keep a regular force
necessary for the security of the State.

SECTION
5. (1) All members of the armed forces shall take an oath or affirmation
to uphold and defend this Constitution.

(2)
The State shall strengthen the patriotic spirit and nationalist
consciousness of the military, and respect for people's rights
in the performance of their duty.

(3)
Professionalism in the armed forces and adequate remuneration
and benefits of its members shall be a prime concern of the State.
The armed forces shall be insulated from partisan politics.

No
member of the military shall engage directly or indirectly in
any partisan political activity, except to vote.

(4)
No member of the armed forces in the active service shall, at
any time, be appointed or designated in any capacity to a civilian
position in the Government including government-owned or controlled
corporations or any of their subsidiaries.

(5)
Laws on retirement of military officers shall not allow extension
of their service.

(6)
The officers and men of the regular force of the armed forces
shall be recruited proportionately from all provinces and cities
as far as practicable.

(7)
The tour of duty of the Chief of Staff of the Armed forces shall
not exceed three years. However, in times of war or other national
emergency declared by the Congress, the President may extend such
tour of duty.

SECTION
6. The State shall establish and maintain one police force, which
shall be national in scope and civilian in character, to be administered
and controlled by a national police commission. The authority
of local executives over the police units in their jurisdiction
shall be provided by law.

SECTION
7. The State shall provide immediate and adequate care, benefits,
and other forms of assistance to war veterans and veterans of
military campaigns, their surviving spouses and orphans. Funds
shall be provided therefor and due consideration shall be given
them in the disposition of agricultural lands of the public domain
and, in appropriate cases, in the utilization of natural resources.

SECTION
8. The State shall, from time to time, review to increase the
pensions and other benefits due to retirees of both the government
and the private sectors.

SECTION
9. The State shall protect consumers from trade malpractices and
from substandard or hazardous products.

SECTION
10. The State shall provide the policy environment for the full
development of Filipino capability and the emergence of communication
structures suitable to the needs and aspirations of the nation
and the balanced flow of information into, out of, and across
the country, in accordance with a policy that respects the freedom
of speech and of the press.

SECTION
11. (1) The ownership and management of mass media shall be limited
to citizens of the Philippines, or to corporations, cooperatives
or associations, wholly-owned and managed by such citizens.

The
Congress shall regulate or prohibit monopolies in commercial mass
media when the public interest so requires. No combinations in
restraint of trade or unfair competition therein shall be allowed.

(2)
The advertising industry is impressed with public interest, and
shall be regulated by law for the protection of consumers and
the promotion of the general welfare.
Only Filipino citizens or corporations or associations at least
seventy per centum of the capital of which is owned by such citizens
shall be allowed to engage in the advertising industry.

The
participation of foreign investors in the governing body of entities
in such industry shall be limited to their proportionate share
in the capital thereof, and all the executive and managing officers
of such entities must be citizens of the Philippines.

SECTION
12. The Congress may create a consultative body to advise the
President on policies affecting indigenous cultural communities,
the majority of the members of which shall come from such communities.

ARTICLE
17

Amendments
or Revisions

SECTION
1. Any amendment to, or revision of, this Constitution may be
proposed by:

(1)
The Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its Members;
or

(2)
A constitutional convention.

SECTION
2. Amendments to this Constitution may likewise be directly proposed
by the people through initiative upon a petition of at least twelve
per centum of the total number of registered voters, of which
every legislative district must be represented by at least three
per centum of the registered voters therein. No amendment under
this section shall be authorized within five years following the
ratification of this Constitution nor oftener than once every
five years thereafter.

The
Congress shall provide for the implementation of the exercise
of this right.

SECTION
3. The Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of all its Members,
call a constitutional convention, or by a majority vote of all
its Members, submit to the electorate the question of calling
such a convention.

SECTION
4. Any amendment to, or revision of, this Constitution under Section
1 hereof shall be valid when ratified by a majority of the votes
cast in a plebiscite which shall be held not earlier than sixty
days nor later than ninety days after the approval of such amendment
or revision.

Any
amendment under Section 2 hereof shall be valid when ratified
by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite which shall be
held not earlier than sixty days nor later than ninety days after
the certification by the Commission on Elections of the sufficiency
of the petition.

ARTICLE
18

Transitory
Provisions

SECTION
1. The first elections of the Members of the Congress under this
Constitution shall be held on the second Monday of May, 1987.

The
first local elections shall be held on a date to be determined
by the President, which may be simultaneous with the election
of the Members of the Congress. It shall include the election
of all Members of the city or municipal councils in the Metropolitan
Manila area.

SECTION
2. The Senators, Members of the House of Representatives, and
the local officials first elected under this Constitution shall
serve until noon of June 30, 1992.

Of
the Senators elected in the election of 1992, the first twelve
obtaining the highest number of votes shall serve six years and
the remaining twelve for three years.

SECTION
3. All existing laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations,
letters of instructions, and other executive issuances not inconsistent
with this Constitution shall remain operative until amended, repealed,
or revoked.

SECTION
4. All existing treaties or international agreements which have
not been ratified shall not be renewed or extended without the
concurrence of at least two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate.

SECTION
5. The six-year term of the incumbent President and Vice-President
elected in the February 7, 1986 election is, for purposes of synchronization
of elections, hereby extended to noon of June 30, 1992.

The
first regular elections for the President and Vice-President under
this Constitution shall be held on the second Monday of May, 1992.

SECTION
6. The incumbent President shall continue to exercise legislative
powers until the first Congress is convened.

SECTION
7. Until a law is passed, the President may fill by appointment
from a list of nominees by the respective sectors the seats reserved
for sectoral representation in paragraph (2), Section 5 of Article
VI of this Constitution.

SECTION
8. Until otherwise provided by the Congress, the President may
constitute the Metropolitan Authority to be composed of the heads
of all local government units comprising the Metropolitan Manila
area.

SECTION
9. A sub-province shall continue to exist and operate until it
is converted into a regular province or until its component municipalities
are reverted to the mother province.

SECTION
10. All courts existing at the time of the ratification of this
Constitution shall continue to exercise their jurisdiction, until
otherwise provided by law. The provisions of the existing Rules
of Court, judiciary acts, and procedural laws not inconsistent
with this Constitution shall remain operative unless amended or
repealed by the Supreme Court or the Congress.

SECTION
11. The incumbent Members of the Judiciary shall continue in office
until they reach the age of seventy years or become incapacitated
to discharge the duties of their office or are removed for cause.

SECTION
12. The Supreme Court shall, within one year after the ratification
of this Constitution, adopt a systematic plan to expedite the
decision or resolution of cases or matters pending in the Supreme
Court or the lower courts prior to the effectivity of this Constitution.
A similar plan shall be adopted for all special courts and quasi-judicial
bodies.

SECTION
13. The legal effect of the lapse, before the ratification of
this Constitution, of the applicable period for the decision or
resolution of the cases or matters submitted for adjudication
by the courts, shall be determined by the Supreme Court as soon
as practicable.

SECTION
14. The provisions of paragraphs (3) and (4), Section 15 of Article
VIII of this Constitution shall apply to cases or matters filed
before the ratification of this Constitution, when the applicable
period lapses after such ratification.

SECTION
15. The incumbent Members of the Civil Service Commission, the
Commission on Elections, and the Commission on Audit shall continue
in office for one year after the ratification of this Constitution,
unless they are sooner removed for cause or become incapacitated
to discharge the duties of their office or appointed to a new
term thereunder. In no case shall any Member serve longer than
seven years including service before the ratification of this
Constitution.

SECTION
16. Career civil service employees separated from the service
not for cause but as a result of the reorganization pursuant to
Proclamation No. 3 dated March 25, 1986 and the reorganization
following the ratification of this Constitution shall be entitled
to appropriate separation pay and to retirement and other benefits
accruing to them under the laws of general application in force
at the time of their separation. In lieu thereof, at the option
of the employees, they may be considered for employment in the
Government or in any of its subdivisions, instrumentalities, or
agencies, including government-owned or controlled corporations
and their subsidiaries. This provision also applies to career
officers whose resignation, tendered in line with the existing
policy, had been accepted.

SECTION
17. Until the Congress provides otherwise, the President shall
receive an annual salary of three hundred thousand pesos; the
Vice-President, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court, two hundred forty thousand pesos each; the Senators, the
Members of the House of Representatives, the Associate Justices
of the Supreme Court, and the Chairmen of the Constitutional Commissions,
two hundred four thousand pesos each; and the Members of the Constitutional
Commissions, one hundred eighty thousand pesos each.

SECTION
18. At the earliest possible time, the Government shall increase
the salary scales of other officials and employees of the National
Government.

SECTION
19. All properties, records, equipment, buildings, facilities,
and other assets of any office or body abolished or reorganized
under Proclamation No. 3 dated March 25, 1986 or this Constitution
shall be transferred to the office or body to which its powers,
functions, and responsibilities substantially pertain.

SECTION
20. The first Congress shall give priority to the determination
of the period for the full implementation of free public secondary
education.

SECTION
21. The Congress shall provide efficacious procedures and adequate
remedies for the reversion to the State of all lands of the public
domain and real rights connected therewith which were acquired
in violation of the Constitution or the public land laws, or through
corrupt practices. No transfer or disposition of such lands or
real rights shall be allowed until after the lapse of one year
from the ratification of this Constitution.

SECTION
22. At the earliest possible time, the Government shall expropriate
idle or abandoned lands as may be defined by law, for distribution
to the beneficiaries of the agrarian reform program.

SECTION
23. Advertising entities affected by paragraph (2), Section 11
of Article XVI of this Constitution shall have five years from
its ratification to comply on a graduated or proportionate basis
with the minimum Filipino ownership requirement therein.
SECTION 24. Private armies and other armed groups not recognized
by duly constituted authority shall be dismantled. All paramilitary
forces including Civilian Home Defense Forces not consistent with
the citizen armed force established in this Constitution, shall
be dissolved or, where appropriate, converted into the regular
force.

SECTION
25. After the expiration in 1991 of the Agreement between the
Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America concerning
Military Bases, foreign military bases, troops, or facilities
shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty
duly concurred in by the Senate and, when the Congress so requires,
ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national
referendum held for that purpose, and recognized as a treaty by
the other contracting State.

SECTION
26. The authority to issue sequestration or freeze orders under
Proclamation No. 3 dated March 25, 1986 in relation to the recovery
of ill-gotten wealth shall remain operative for not more than
eighteen months after the ratification of this Constitution. However,
in the national interest, as certified by the President, the Congress
may extend said period.

A
sequestration or freeze order shall be issued only upon showing
of a prima facie case. The order and the list of the sequestered
or frozen properties shall forthwith be registered with the proper
court. For orders issued before the ratification of this Constitution,
the corresponding judicial action or proceeding shall be filed
within six months from its ratification. For those issued after
such ratification, the judicial action or proceeding shall be
commenced within six months from the issuance thereof.

The
sequestration or freeze order is deemed automatically lifted if
no judicial action or proceeding is commenced as herein provided.

SECTION
27. This Constitution shall take effect immediately upon its ratification
by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite held for the purpose
and shall supersede all previous Constitutions.